Analysis: The growing use of GPS navigation systems

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - When driving to a place you've never been before, there's a very good chance that you will make use of some sort of GPS navigation system on your journey. What sort of GPS method will be used can be very telling about the driver's preferences. In order to better understand trends in the field of GPS systems, yangche51.com conducted a weeklong survey, collecting answers from 2,391 automobile owners.

In the first question of the survey, participants were asked whether their owned vehicle provided an onboard navigation system as an option when initially offered for purchase. 65 percent of respondents said that their vehicles didn't offer such an option. This figure is telling, as it shows that a large portion of buyers did not consider onboard GPS as a major selling point when looking for a new vehicle. While the additional cost of having onboard GPS is one factor, equally worth considering are doubts that consumers may have regarding the overall quality of such GPS systems.

Onboard GPS systems, portable GPS units and mobile phone GPS applications all have their own advantages and disadvantages. Onboard systems are convenient and can offer a variety of other services, but their data statistics are more expensive to update. Individual units offer more up-to-date statistics, but their build quality can vary enormously. Mobile apps can provide free data updates, but suffer from the small screen size of the phones as well as potentially long loading times.

Among these three types of navigation systems, onboard devices seem to be the least popular, due to the difficulty in guaranteeing up-to-date travel data. It is also difficult to ensure that a vehicle's GPS system will remain modern three years after its initial purchase. Upgrading the GPS hardware may also prove costly or potentially compromise the usability of other functions.

Survey participants were next asked which sort of GPS system they prefer to use when driving. 42 percent answered that they mainly use applications on their phones, while another 13 percent responded using both their phones and another method. 32 percent said that they use their own individually purchased units. Only 13 percent reported to exclusively use their onboard systems. Looking at market trends, phone applications are only increasing in popularity, while individual dedicated GPS units are expected to still maintain a definite market share.

On the topic of phones, participants were asked what their future prospects for the technology are. The vast majority, 74 percent, are optimistic, saying that they expect the technology to become the mainstream method as more and more people take up using it. The fact that most applications are free is definitely a major factor behind their success. Only 13 percent maintain that the technology will not achieve widespread success, while the remaining 13 percent were undecided.

On a similar subject, participants were also asked about their opinions on onboard GPS units. 46 percent answered that, as cars become older, the systems become increasingly less effective. This problem can become even more serious if the systems aren't upgraded regularly, however 4S dealerships can charge hundreds or thousands of yuan to install such upgrades. On the other hand, 42 percent of respondents remarked that the onboard systems are good enough for daily use.